Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The Sound of Music: A Personal History

Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start.

*1965 - My parents go to see the movie in the theater on one of their early dates. The thought of my father sitting through this in the theater is...laughable. But it must've been a good date. They married two years later. And then 10 years later, there was me.

*1984 - I figure I was about 5 when I started listening to the record we had of the soundtrack. I clearly remember sitting in Anna's room with its yellow and white shag carpet and striped daisy wallpaper and trying to learn the words to "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." And thus began my obsession with song lyrics.

*1980s - For a long time, one of the channels would run the movie every year at Christmas or just after. It was always a big family event to watch together - we were easily entertained.

*1993/4 - Somewhere along in here I got the movie on VHS. And I also developed a terrible crush on Christopher Plummer. Captain Von Trapp is HOT.

*1997 - Our high school put on the musical as the spring production. Jenn was totally robbed of playing Leisl by this horrible girl who thought she was headed for Broadway. Instead, Jenn and Allison were cast as backup nuns. Oh, the agony. It led to many, many inappropriate nun jokes for which we will certainly burn in hell.

*1998-2001 - I learned in college that I could use this movie to study. No, really. I would let the movie play while I was studying for tests and then I would listen to the soundtrack on the way to class. Excellent memory trick. It's the only way I made it through Dr. McKee's Public Relations Theory course - I had confidence in me.

*2002 - Hoang-Anh discovered my love of The Sound of Music. There was a communal viewing. And possibly a sing-along. But I'm not confirming anything.

*2006 - At Christmas, Mom and I happened to catch the movie on TV. We had forgotten how cheesy it is. Particularly "Something Good" sung by Maria and the Captain after they declare their love for one another. It was so silly in fact, that Robert Wise chose to shoot it in silhouette because Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer couldn't keep a straight face.

*2007 - Excellent distraction to pass the time while counting the hours until meeting my nephew.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night. I'm off to see the baby. Copious amounts of pictures from every imaginable angle upon my return.

5 cat calls:

Andria said...

Sadly, I've still never seen the movie. . .horrors!

Can't wait for the barrage of pictures upon your return. Enjoy!

Niki said...

Dr. Rhoden's class, sometime in middle school, me dying to sing Edelweiss, the rest of the class wanting to sing something by Elvis or not sing at all, all of us disappointed when we were forced to sing "Itsty bitsy polka-dot bikini."

Anonymous said...

Now, in 2007, Gwen Stefani uses the yodeling, the hook (I think from Doe a Deer,) AND an old timey nun costume for her horrible song and video "Wind it up".

mendacious said...

well then i won't tell you about the singalong there is at the Hollywood Bowl every year.

hat said...

On the 13.5-hours long bus ride from Nha Trang back to Saigon, the gang of 15 committed the unforgiveable. We sang the words of Amazing Grace to the tune of The Sound of Music theme song. That takes A LOT of concentration, needless to say.